03

The basketball court incident became a hot topic within two days.

The Tsinghua forum's front page was practically flooded with related posts. Clicking on any of them revealed sensational headlines like "The beauty from the Computer Department blocked the basketball hoop in public, pursuing the school hunk Yu Wang" and "Did Chen Qingyu's image collapse? She refused to be called the school hunk, then took the initiative to show her affection." The photos in the posts weren't very clear, and the lighting was a bit dim, but they still captured the image of Shen Qingyu standing in front of Yu Wang, looking up at him slightly. From a tricky angle, it really looked like she was tiptoeing to "show her affection in public." Even the hint of a smile on Yu Wang's lips was interpreted as a "cold rejection."

The comment section has been buzzing with arguments for a long time, and the posts are thicker than the professional course notes.

"No way? What's wrong with Chen Qingyu? Wasn't she so arrogant at the department party before? She said something like 'campus beauties are a joke', and then she turned around and went after Yu Wang?"

"Yu Wang is the newly ranked number one school idol. He's handsome, good at basketball, and his family is rich. Does she think she can flirt with anyone just because she's good-looking?"

Su Yi sat cross-legged on the bed, scrolling through her phone. The more she looked, the angrier she became. She slammed her pillow onto the bed and said, "Are these people crazy? They're making up stories based on a few blurry photos!"

Ji Yuanyuan pushed her glasses up and tapped her fingertips quickly on the keyboard. On the screen was the live video she had just found. In the video, she could clearly see Le Yan'er and the other two pulling Chen Qingyu down to the stands, and she could also hear Su Yi shouting "I accept the loss".

"I'll post the full video to clarify the situation and then take screenshots of the rumor-mongering comments and report them. We can't let them slander Yu Yu like this."

Le Yan'er was even more direct. She grabbed her phone and rushed to the forum to confront them, her fingers rapidly tapping the screen. "Let them speak to your face if they have the guts! What's the point of nagging and blaming them behind their backs?"

The dormitory was noisy, except for Shen Qingyu, who was leaning against the desk and applying a facial mask. She didn't even raise her head, and said nonchalantly: "Let them talk."

"Yu Yu!" Su Yi came closer and put the phone screen in front of her. "Even though people called you a 'loser girl,' aren't you angry at all?"

Shen Qingyu glanced at the negative comments on the screen: "It has nothing to do with me." She tapped the phone case lightly with her fingertips, and the small mole at the end of her eye shook. "It's enough for the people I like to like me - as for those who don't like me, they can say whatever they want."

The dormitory became quiet in an instant.

Ji Yuanyuan also stopped typing and couldn't help laughing: "You are so open-minded. If it were me, I would have cried a long time ago."

As soon as the bell rang for the end of get out of class at noon, Su Yi ran off to find her boyfriend, and Ji Yuanyuan grabbed her backpack and rushed to the library - she was preparing for the second-level computer exam and wished she could live in the library.

"You haven't even had breakfast yet, why are you going out so early?" Shen Qingyu reached out and grabbed her schoolbag strap, her tone a little helpless, "If you keep going like this, your body will collapse."

Le Yaner also advised: "Yes, Yuanyuan, why don't you go after lunch? It won't take half an hour. There are plenty of window seats in the library. I can save a seat for you."

"Oh, it's okay!" Ji Yuanyuan waved her hand, took out a piece of whole wheat bread from her pocket and shook it, "Just take a couple of bites on the way. You don't know how popular the window seats in the library are recently. If you go too late, even the seats in the corridor are gone!" After she said that, she ran away like a gust of wind, her white sneakers making a crisp "thump thump" sound as they stepped on the steps of the teaching building.

"Yuanyuan is working too hard." Le Yaner sighed as she looked at her back, turned around and yawned, and put her arm on Shen Qingyu's shoulder. "Old Xu's class is simply a lullaby. I'm so sleepy that I could fall asleep standing up. How on earth do you think he managed to finish lecturing on 'Operating Systems' for two hours in the same tone?"

"There are no classes in the afternoon, so go back and catch up on your sleep." Shen Qingyu patted the back of her hand.

"That's right." Le Yaner yawned again, and some physiological tears squeezed out of the corners of her eyes.

The two of them walked slowly into the cafeteria. The computer department's classes started ten minutes later than those of other departments. The cafeteria was already full of people. The lines in front of each window were so long that they curved corners. Even the "dark cuisine" window, which usually no one went to, had quite a few people standing there.

"Why is it so crowded today?" Le Yan'er stood on tiptoe, looking around. "Is the cafeteria having a big sale? Or are they giving away free chicken legs?"

Shen Qingyu's gaze passed over the throng of people and landed at the front of the line at the "Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs" counter—Yu Wang was standing there, and in front of him was probably his roommate, Wu Hao. He was looking down at his phone, his hair falling across his forehead, partially obscuring his eyes. The lines of his profile were sharp and distinct, and even the gesture of lowering his head exuded a casual handsomeness. Almost all the girls in the cafeteria had their eyes glued to him; it was hard not to notice him.

Two girls in pink dresses passed by and chattered with their hands covering their mouths: "Look at the obvious muscle lines on Yu Wang's arms..."

"Hey! It's Yu Wang!" Le Yan'er also saw it and instantly regained consciousness. She nudged Shen Qingyu with her elbow and said excitedly, "No wonder the cafeteria is so crowded today. It turns out he's here to see the school hunk."

"School Prince?" Shen Qingyu raised his eyebrows.

"That's right!" Le Yan'er quickly pulled out her phone and clicked on the pinned post on the school forum to show her. "The school idol rankings were just cast yesterday, and Yu Wang was first by a landslide, with nearly double the votes of the second place! Look at this photo, it was taken when he was dunking during the last departmental competition. Isn't he super handsome?"

Shen Qingyu glanced at the photo in the post—Yu Wang, wearing a blue jersey, clutching the rim with one hand, sweat dripping down his jawline, his eyes blazing like fire. She scoffed inwardly: Don't judge a person by appearances. On the surface, he's the school hunk, but behind the scenes, he's a heartless man who wouldn't even give her his WeChat ID.

"But Yuyu," Le Yan'er suddenly leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "If you hadn't said 'campus beauties are a joke' at the department party, Tsinghua would have definitely chosen the campus beauty a long time ago, and you would definitely be the top choice."

"Me?" Shen Qingyu looked at her serious expression and teased her deliberately, "That's not necessarily true. How can I compare to our beautiful Yan'er? Your little canine teeth are so cute. You are much more popular than me."

"Oh!" Le Yan'er blushed at the compliment and reached out to push her. "Don't talk nonsense! I can't compare to you!"

As the two of them were arguing, Le Yan'er suddenly dragged Shen Qingyu to Yu Wang's team.

"There are fewer people over there." Shen Qingyu pointed to the "Tomato Scrambled Eggs" window next door. There were only three people in that team.

"I want to eat sweet and sour pork ribs today!" Le Yaner said seriously, "I haven't eaten it for a long time, I must eat it today!"

Shen Qingyu sighed helplessly: Beauty can lead to misfortune.

The couple ahead of him grumbled a few words, complaining about the slow queue, and then turned away. Shen Qingyu inched forward, only a body length away from Yu Wang. He was wearing a loose black vest, his arm muscles clearly defined, and the way he reached for his phone only made them more defined. He wore grey shorts underneath, revealing his slender, straight calves, his skin dazzlingly white. On his feet were black slippers.

Le Yan'er, who was standing behind him, suddenly poked her head out and lowered her voice, her tone full of amazement: "Fuck... Looking closely, Yu Wang's figure is so good... That waist, those legs, it's simply..."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a "click" sound - the flash and shutter sound rang out at the same time, and it was particularly clear in the noisy cafeteria.

Le Yan'er was quick and shoved the phone into Shen Qingyu's hands, not forgetting to whisper, "Yu Yu, save me! I didn't mean it!"

Before Shen Qingyu could react, Yu Wang had already turned around.

Their eyes met.

The air froze instantly.

Even the noise around them seemed to disappear, leaving only the awkward silence between the two of them.

Yu Wang stared at the phone in her hand for two seconds. The screen was still lit, showing a photo of his back—the angle was perfect, capturing the proportions of his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He suddenly sneered, his voice lazily like someone who had just woken up: "Taking a secret photo of me?"

"I'm taking a selfie." Shen Qingyu touched her earlobe uncomfortably, hid her phone behind her back, and looked a little lost. "Don't be so self-indulgent. I'm taking a picture of myself."

Yu Wang raised his eyebrows, the smile in his eyes became even more intense, and even his peach blossom eyes curved: "Senior Sister Shen's way of taking selfies is quite unique."

When he turned back, Wu Hao, who was in front of him, heard the noise and turned his head to look over. Seeing Shen Qingyu's face clearly, Wu Hao's eyes lit up. He pulled Yu Wang's arm and whispered, "Fuck! Yu Wang! That's Senior Shen Qingyu behind you! She's even prettier up close than in the photo! I'll go get her WeChat!" As he spoke, he took out his phone and tried to get back.

"Buy your meal." Yu Wang pushed him back.

Wu Hao turned his head aggrievedly, mumbling, "What's wrong with asking for WeChat... The goddess is right behind me..."

Until he bought his meal and left the cafeteria, Wu Hao stared at Yu Wang with a resentful look.

Yu Wang was frightened by his gaze and asked with a frown, "What's wrong?"

"Who told you to stop me from asking for the goddess' WeChat?" Wu Hao pouted, his tone aggrieved, "Senior Sister Shen is so beautiful. If you miss this opportunity, you won't have another chance next time!"

“…” Yu Wang ignored him and just walked towards the dormitory.

After returning to the dormitory, Yu Wang took out his dark black basketball uniform and put it on. He raised his chin towards the two of them and said, "Let's play basketball."

Wu Hao and Lu Yiwu were both confused: "? Now?"

"I have an appointment with the Finance Department at 1:30." Yu Wang grabbed the basketball and walked out, his steps faster than usual.

In the cafeteria, Shen Qingyu threw the phone to Le Yaner and said helplessly: "You only know how to use me as a shield. If you do this again next time, I won't care about you."

"Oh, I was wrong~" Le Yan'er immediately gave her all the braised pork on her plate, clasped her hands together and begged for mercy, "My dear Yu Yu is the best~ You are so generous, don't bother with me~"

Shen Qingyu was so annoyed by her cuteness that he picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth: "There won't be a next time."

"Absolutely not!" Le Yaner raised her right hand and swore, but her eyes were fixed on the ribs in Shen Qingyu's bowl, "Yuyu, don't you want to eat ribs? Give me a piece~"

Before she finished her meal, Le Yaner suddenly received a call from her counselor, saying that there was a problem with the class's comprehensive assessment form and asked her to go to the teaching building to check it out. She hurriedly greeted Shen Qingyu, poured her meal, and ran to the teaching building, forgetting even to take her phone.

Shen Qingyu ate slowly by herself, scrolling through her phone as she ate—she was browsing forum posts about herself. Ji Yuanyuan's clarification video had gone viral, with many of the students present helping to testify, and the previous negative comments had decreased significantly. By the time she finished, the cafeteria was empty. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting dappled shadows on the table.

Leaving the cafeteria, the afternoon sun was just right, warm and radiant on the body, not at all dazzling. Shen Qingyu simply took a long detour back to the dormitory, intending to digest the food on the way. The air on campus was filled with the fragrance of grass and osmanthus, so fresh that it made people feel better.

Before I knew it, I was near the basketball court. From a distance, I saw a large group of girls gathered around, their screams rising and falling, louder than the school bell. They were probably watching the boys play basketball—it was the time for the various departments' basketball teams to practice. Two girls in tracksuits beside me ran over excitedly, shouting, "Yu Wang is so handsome!" and "Keep going, Yu Wang!"

Shen Qingyu also walked over with the intention of joining in the fun - she was bored anyway, so it would be nice to look at some handsome guys.

She spotted Yu Wang the moment he appeared. He had changed into a dark black basketball jersey, number 18, with the words "Tsinghua Computer Science" printed on the chest. He wore a white forehead protector and white wrist guards, which made his skin look even whiter. He had a pretty face, like a pretty boy, but his figure was astonishingly good: the muscles in his arms and calves were smooth and well-defined, and every time he dribbled or jumped, his lines were taut. He would occasionally lift the hem of his jersey to wipe sweat, revealing his abs and mermaid line, which drew screams from the girls around him and the sound of camera phones clicking.

Shen Qingyu groaned inwardly, saying "that's just the way it is" but swallowing her saliva the next second. It must be said that girls really fall for this kind of guy - handsome, in great shape, and a great basketball player, it's the standard set of male protagonists in romance novels.

At this time, Yu Wang retreated to the outside of the three-point line, bent his legs slightly, raised his hand, aimed, and shot - the basketball drew a beautiful arc and went steadily into the basket without even shaking the basket.

The whole stadium was boiling instantly, and the screams almost blew off the roof of the basketball court.

The girl next to Shen Qingyu was so excited that she grabbed her arm with amazing strength. Shen Qingyu hissed in pain and frowned. The girl quickly let go of her hand, her face full of guilt: "I'm sorry, I'm so excited... Classmate, are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Shen Qingyu waved her hand and rubbed her red arm. "You're too excited."

"I'm so sorry..." The girl smiled sheepishly, hesitated for a long time, and then asked in a low voice, "Classmate, are you also a fan of Yu Wang?"

"No." Shen Qingyu denied without even thinking - he was her "fallen enemy", how could he be a fan?

"Is that so..." The girl's eyes dimmed instantly, her fingers tightly clenched the mineral water bottle in her hand. After hesitating for a long time, she whispered, "Then... can I ask you for a favor?"

"You say." Shen Qingyu was a little curious.

"I want to bring some water to Senior Yu...but I'm timid and don't dare to go over..." The girl's voice became smaller and smaller. She handed the mineral water in her hand to Shen Qingyu, her face full of pleading, "Can you help me bring it? Just put it on the ground next to him, no need to say anything."

The screams were so loud that Shen Qingyu only caught the words "send water." She leaned forward, wanting to ask again, but the girl thought she had agreed. She happily stuffed the water into her hand, said "Thank you so much," turned around and ran away, running faster than a rabbit.

Shen Qingyu held up the unopened bottle of mineral water, completely stunned.

Thank you for what?

She just didn't hear clearly!

What should I do with the water? I can't just stand here with the bottle of water, right?

On the other side of the court, Yu Wang had already caught a glimpse of Chen Qingyu standing outside the crowd. She was wearing a short white sweatshirt and light blue jeans, holding a bottle of mineral water. She lowered her head, lost in thought, her platinum hair swaying gently in the wind, like a lost animal.

Yu Wang couldn't help but curl his lips. Just as he was about to walk towards her, a white figure suddenly jumped out from the side and ran towards Shen Qingyu. His brows instantly frowned - it was Yu Jie, the captain of the Finance Department basketball team, who had previously competed with him for the MVP in the college-department competition.

"Chen Qingyu, why are you here?" Yu Jie stood in front of Shen Qingyu, smiling heartily, revealing two small canine teeth, looking very sunny.

Chen Qingyu looked up, stunned for a moment. "Oh, just passing by." She had been so engrossed in staring at Yu Wang that she hadn't noticed anyone approaching. She had met Yu Jie when she was taking the Finance Department's "Principles of Economics" class in her sophomore year. She remembered Le Yan'er saying he was the captain of the Finance Department basketball team, a very good player and quite popular.

Yu Jie's eyes fell on the water in her hand, and he smiled and joked, "You bought a bottle of water specifically for this? Who is it for? Judging from your attitude, are you here to cheer for our Finance Department?"

Shen Qingyu was stunned and was about to explain that the water was not hers when Yu Jie spoke again: "I see that your water is unopened. How about giving it to me? I just finished playing ball and I'm thirsty." As he spoke, he reached out to take the water, his tone as natural as if he was asking for something from a friend.

Shen Qingyu hesitated for a moment. It didn't matter who she gave it to. The water wasn't hers anyway, so it didn't matter who she gave it to. She was about to hand the water over when her wrist suddenly felt light. Yu Wang came over, snatched the water from her hand, unscrewed the cap, and poured it into her mouth.

The cold mineral water slid down his Adam's apple, and in a few seconds, the full bottle of water was empty.

Shen Qingyu was completely stunned, her hand still holding the water. A few drops of water touched Yu Wang's lips, and the sweat from his recent workout flowed down his jawline, a few drops landing on his collarbone, creating a small stain that made people's hearts itch.

Yu Jie’s face darkened instantly, and his tone became cold: “Junior brother, this is Shen Qingyu’s water.”

"Oh." Yu Wang's tone was cold, but his eyes were filled with undisguised hostility. He held the empty water bottle in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white. "I'm thirsty."

"..." Yu Jie was choked and speechless. He and Yu Wang were old rivals on the court. They had argued over a ball during the previous departmental match, and now his water was snatched away in front of Shen Qingyu. He was really embarrassed.

Shen Qingyu was sandwiched between the two of them, feeling as if the air was almost frozen. On one side was Yu Jie's gloomy face, and on the other was Yu Wang's cold eyes. The smell of gunpowder between the two was so thick that it could be ignited. The girls around them had already taken out their phones and started taking pictures, whispering to each other:

"What's going on? Senior Yu Jie and Yu Wang are fighting over the water?"

"Oh my god... Is this a Shura Field? This is so exciting!"

Shen Qingyu was just hesitating whether to say something to smooth things over, like, "It's just a bottle of water, I can buy another one," when Yu Wang suddenly spoke up, his tone slightly provocative: "Come on? One on one."

"Okay." Yu Jie agreed without a second thought. He had always been dissatisfied with Yu Wang, and now that his water had been taken away, he thought this was the perfect opportunity to have a good fight.

Yu Wang glanced at Shen Qingyu, his eyes carrying a hint of something inexplicable, then turned and walked towards the middle of the court. Yu Jie followed him, and before leaving, he looked back at Shen Qingyu with a complicated look.

No one expected a sudden one-on-one match. The Finance and Computer Science students nearby immediately started to cheer: "Come on! Let's have a fight! Show them who's Tsinghua's top defender!" "Come on, Captain Yu! Beat Yu Wang!" "Yu Wang is awesome! Beat him!"

The game begins.

Yu Wang stood outside the three-point line, knees slightly bent, holding the ball with both hands, his eyes fixed on the basket. Without any fake moves, he raised his hand and shot - the basketball drew a perfect arc and "swish" sounded, and it went into the basket steadily.

"Good shot!" The computer department players cheered immediately.

Yu Jie was not convinced, so he took the ball from his teammate and dribbled in front of Yu Wang. He dribbled very fast, dribbling left and right, trying to shake off Yu Wang's defense. But Yu Wang was like a magnet, following closely behind him, always blocking him with his left hand, not giving him any chance to break through. Yu Jie was anxious and reached out to hook the ball, but Yu Wang was prepared. He flexibly pulled the ball to the side with his right hand, and then rushed to the backboard with the ball. Just when Yu Jie thought he was going to make a layup, Yu Wang suddenly braked, did a beautiful behind-the-back dribble, shook off Yu Jie, and made a fadeaway jump shot - the ball went in again.

"Holy crap! What the hell!" The audience around was stunned, and the screams were even louder than before.

After a few rounds, the score was tied - 5 to 5.

Decisive game.

Yu Jie served the ball, took a deep breath, and his eyes became extremely focused. He rushed to the right, and Yu Wang quickly ran to the side, flicking the ball with his left hand. The moment the ball was lifted, Yu Jie reacted extremely quickly and snatched it back. He dribbled toward the three-point line, and Yu Wang chased closely behind him. Both of them were astonishingly fast.

Yu Wang stretched out his hand to hook the ball, but Yu Jie dodged it. At this moment, Yu Wang seized the opportunity, snatched the ball, turned around and ran to the opponent's basket, ready to shoot the winning shot. Yu Jie chased him and slapped his hand -

“Bang!”

With a crisp sound, the ball flew out of his hand, as fast as a bullet, and hit directly in the direction of Shen Qingyu.

The ball was moving too fast, and Shen Qingyu was watching it so intently that she didn't react at all. She only felt a sharp pain in her forehead, as if she had been hit by a stone. Her vision instantly went black, and her body fell backward uncontrollably.

Exclamations rang out all around instantly.

Shen Qingyu's mind went blank, and all that remained was pain—I'd never felt such pain in my life! If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have joined in the fun. Wouldn't it be nice to just go back to the dormitory and lie down quietly...

While his consciousness was blurred, Shen Qingyu felt that he was being picked up and bumped into a warm and solid chest.

Yu Wang and Yu Jie rushed to Shen Qingyu at the same time.

"Chen Qingyu!" Yu Jie shouted anxiously and reached out to help her.

The computer science students also gathered around. Wu Hao was so frightened that his voice almost crackled with tears: "Oh my god! Goddess!"

"Hurry up and send him to the infirmary!" Lu Yi turned around and was about to look for a stretcher, his face full of panic.

Yu Wang frowned and reached out to touch the wound on Shen Qingyu's forehead. It was a little red, and there was a small swelling. It hurt just looking at it. Without thinking much, he picked Shen Qingyu up and carried her sideways amid everyone's exclamations. She was very light, but her breathing was a little weak, and her face was frighteningly pale. Yu Wang's heartbeat was inexplicably fast, and even his hands were shaking.

"What are you doing?" Yu Jie stopped him, his tone a little dissatisfied, "The game isn't over yet."

"You win." Yu Wang shook off his hand, turned around and ran to the infirmary. The person in his arms was soft, and he didn't dare run too fast for fear of bumping her, nor did he dare run too slowly for fear of something happening to her. The sunlight shone on him, stretching his shadow very long. Shen Qingyu in his arms opened her eyes slightly, and vaguely saw his tightly pursed lips - he didn't seem that annoying after all.

Wu Hao sniffed, and he and Lu Yi looked at Yu Wang's back, muttering, "Has Old Yu finally... come to his senses? He finally knows how to care for others?"